Excerpt from Lord of the Flies

Fifteen yards from the drove Jack stopped, and his arm, straightening, pointed at the sow. He looked round in inquiry to make sure that everyone understood and the other boys nodded at him. The row of right arms slid back.

“Now!”

The drove of pigs started up; and at a range of only ten yards the wooden spears with fire- hardened points flew toward the chosen pig. One piglet, with a demented shriek, rushed into the sea trailing Roger’s spear behind it. The sow gave a gasping squeal and staggered up, with two spears sticking in.

Before the others could examine the drop of blood, Jack had swerved off, judging a trace, touching a bough that gave. So he followed, mysteriously right and assured, and the hunters trod behind him.

He stopped before a covert.

“In there.”

They surrounded the covert but the sow got away with the sting of another spear in her flank. The trailing butts hindered her and the sharp, cross-cut points were a torment. She blundered into a tree, forcing a spear still deeper; and after that any of the hunters could follow her easily by the drops of vivid blood. The afternoon wore on, hazy and dreadful with damp heat; the sow staggered her way ahead of them, bleeding and mad, and the hunters followed, wedded to her in lust, excited by the long chase and the dropped blood. They could see her now, nearly got up with her, but she spurted with her last strength and held ahead of them again. They were just behind her when she staggered into an open space where bright flowers grew and butterflies danced round each other and the air was hot and still.

Here, struck down by the heat, the sow fell and the hunters hurled themselves at her. This dreadful eruption from an unknown world made her frantic; she squealed and bucked and the air was full of sweat and noise and blood and terror. Roger ran round the heap, prodding with his spear whenever pigflesh appeared. Jack was on top of the sow, stabbing downward with his knife. Roger found a lodgment for his point and began to push till he was leaning with his whole weight. The spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream. Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands. The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her. The butterflies still danced, preoccupied in the center of the clearing.

At last the immediacy of the kill subsided. The boys drew back, and Jack stood up, holding out his hands.

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext PRE-READING VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES

Key vocabulary for “To Study Aggression”:

neuroscientist tussles neurons hypothesis genetically modified suppresses

Types of vocabulary activities:

A. Use context clues: Read the following sentences and use context clues to determine the meaning of the underlined words.

1. The research began with a hypothesis about what causes aggression. The scientists tested their theory with experiments. Based on the context, what is a scientific hypothesis? Why do scientists need to test a hypothesis with experiments?

B. More context clues: Here your task is to use context clues to understand the word’s meaning AND to practice your context clues skills.

2. The researchers tested genetically modified fruit flies that had been engineered so that their neurons would react to a certain temperature in the environment. Genetically modified here means

a) aggressive b) reactive c) scientifically altered d) professionally trained

3. Which word from the sentence above best helps the reader understand the meaning of genetically modified?

a) engineered b) react c) tested d) environment

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext C. Use the dictionary to look up the underlined words and answer the following questions based on their definitions.

4. If someone wants to be a neuroscientist, that person is most likely interested in what?

5. Some people argue that the neurons in teenagers’ brains don’t always work the way they should. Why would someone say that? Do you think your neurons work well? Why or why not?

D. Practice using the word correctly by choosing the correct form of the word that best fits in the blank within the following sentences.

6. The principal has _____ that if students are well fed, they will do better on their schoolwork. He plans to test his ______by offering good breakfasts to all students.

a) hypothesis … hypothesize b) hypothesized … hypothesis c) hypothesized … hypothesize d) hypothesis … hypothesization

E. Vocabulary skits Use the model sentences and definitions to understand the words in question. Create a skit in which you address the given topic. Every member of the group must use the vocabulary word at least once during your performance of the skit.

7. tussle - to have a fight; a fight, brawl, scuffle

 I think men are more likely to get into tussles than women.  My father always wants to tussle with me about my chores, but I am doing the best I can.  The endless tussles in Congress would be amusing if they didn’t have such important implications for our future.

Scenario: Create a skit in which a group of scientists discuss the relationship between gender and aggression. Are men naturally more aggressive than women? Are women less likely to get into tussles than men? (Feel free to have the scientists get into a verbal (but not physical) tussle during their conversation.)

To Study Aggression, a Fight Club for Flies By JAMES GORMAN The New York Times

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext FEB. 3, 2014

Males’ aggression toward each other is an old story throughout the animal kingdom. It’s not that females aren’t aggressive, but in many species, male-on-male battles are more common.

Take fruit flies. “The males are more aggressive than females,” said David J. Anderson, a California Institute of Technology neuroscientist who knows their tussles well. Dr. Anderson runs a kind of fight club for fruit flies in his lab at Caltech, with the goal of understanding the deep evolutionary roots of very fundamental behaviors.

Dr. Anderson, Kenta Asahina and a group of their colleagues recently identified one gene and a tiny group of neurons, sometimes as few as three, present only in the brains of male fruit flies, that can control aggression.

The gene is also found in mammals, and has also been associated with aggression in some mammalian species, perhaps even in humans, although that is not clear.

The discovery, reported in the journal Cell last month, does not tell the whole story of fly aggression. Some fighting is inextricably linked to food and mating, while the mechanism the scientists found is not. But it is a striking indication of how brain structure and chemistry work together, as well as a reminder that as different as humans and flies are, they are not always very far apart.

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext At Caltech, researchers identified a gene and a tiny group of neurons in male flies that control aggression. Left, a male fruit fly’s brain. The arrows point to the neurons that the female brain lacks.

The research began, Dr. Anderson said, with the hypothesis that neuropeptides, which are a kind of hormone in the brain, had a role in controlling aggression.

To find out which neuropeptides were important, the team tested different lines, of genetically modified fruit flies. All lines had been engineered so that at a certain temperature, around 80 degrees, a chemical change would make specific neurons fire. In each line the neurons were different. They tested about 40 lines of flies, raising the temperature to increase the firing of neurons and determine which flies showed increased aggressive behavior. They used another technique to make neurons they were studying become fluorescent green so they could see their anatomy and location. And using a variety of tools, they narrowed the search to neurons that were producing the neuropeptide tachykinin. When they compared the brains of male and female flies, they found a few neurons, present only in the male, that produced tachykinin. When these neurons were silenced, the researchers were able to decrease aggression. The emergence of tachykinin was very interesting because mammals have several different kinds of tachykinin, including substance P, which has been connected to aggression in rodents and has a variety of suspected roles in human beings, including a possible link to aggression.

They now had identified a cluster of neurons, as few as three, that caused an increase in aggression. Those few neurons were only in males. They were active when males were fighting each other. The researchers did more genetic manipulation, deleting and adding copies of tachykinin genes, so that the neurons would produce more or less of the chemical. They found that with enough tachykinin produced by these few neurons, flies became more or less aggressive. They could even make small flies attack bigger flies.

In the end, they clearly established that a significant behavioral difference in male and female flies was based in the brain. What this might mean for humans is unclear. A drug that suppresses the activity of substance P in humans had, at one time, seemed very promising as an antidepressant. It failed in clinical trials, but Dr. Anderson and his co- authors suggested in the Cell paper that it might be tested for symptoms like uncontrollable anger that can affect people with illnesses like post-traumatic stress syndrome.

It is clear that humans and flies have more in common than it might appear. Dr. Anderson said, “Studying aggression in fruit flies can actually teach us something about some of the molecules that control aggression.”

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING

1) In “To Study Aggression,” James Gorman explains that “All lines had been engineered so that at a certain temperature, around 80 degrees, a chemical change would make specific neurons fire... they narrowed the search to neurons that were producing the neuropeptide tachykinin.” By “fire,” Gorman here means

a) explode b) combust c) produce tachykinin d) become very hot

2) Which word(s) from the sentence above best helps the reader understand the meaning of “fire” in this context?

a) 80 degrees b) certain temperature c) producing the neuropeptide d) engineered

3) Which of the following sentences best states the main idea of “To Study Aggression”? a) Men are more aggressive than women.

b) The brains of fruit flies are like the brains of mammals.

c) Studying aggression in male fruit flies may help us understand aggression in humans.

d) Substance P seems to be the key to understanding aggression.

4) Select the THREE pieces of evidence from the article that BEST support your answer to question 3.

a) They could even make small flies attack bigger flies. b) A drug that suppresses the activity of substance P in humans had, at one time, seemed very promising as an antidepressant. c) Studying aggression in fruit flies can actually teach us something about some of the molecules that control aggression. d) It is clear that humans and flies have more in common than it might appear. e) The research began, Dr. Anderson said, with the hypothesis that neuropeptides, which are a kind of hormone in the brain, had a role in controlling aggression. f) When they compared the brains of male and female flies, they found a few neurons, present only in the male, that produced tachykinin. g) But it is a striking indication of how brain structure and chemistry work together, as well as a reminder that as different as humans and flies are, they are not always very far apart. h) Males’ aggression toward each other is an old story.

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext 5) James Gorman begins his article with the statement that “Males’ aggression toward each other is an old story throughout the animal kingdom.” Which paraphrase best explains the writer’s thinking here?

a) People have long believed that men are more aggressive than women. b) People have long believed that males are more aggressive than females. c) Males are more aggressive toward animals. d) While many people think males are more aggressive than females, that’s actually just a story.

WRITING AND DISCUSSION

OPEN-ENDED RESPONSE #1: DIRECTIONS James Gorman discusses research on aggression in fruit flies by a group of scientists.

 Why, according to Gorman, are the scientists interested in aggression in fruit flies?  What have these scientists discovered about aggression in fruit flies? What are the implications of their discoveries for humans? What questions remain unanswered by the research?

Use information and textual evidence from the article to support your response. Be sure to follow the conventions of standard English.

OPEN-ENDED RESPONSE #2: DIRECTIONS: Use what you’ve learned about male aggression in James Gorman’s article to consider the excerpt from William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.  In what ways does the scene from Lord of the Flies reflect the concerns about aggression in Gorman’s article?  How might the scientists Gorman discusses analyze the behavior of the boys in the scene? How might the scientists connect the research about fruit flies in the Gorman article to the behavior of the boys? If the scientists could study the boys, what might they be interested in learning more about?

Develop your essay by providing textual evidence from both texts. Be sure to follow the conventions of standard English.

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext Answers

Vocabulary 1. a theory – to check the theory 2. c 3. a 4. neurons and the way the brain works 5. developmental issues of teenagers’ brains 6. b 7. skit

Check 1. c 2. c 3. c 4. c,d,g 5. b

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext USING INFORMATIONAL TEXT TO INCREASE STUDENT MOTIVATION, ENGAGEMENT, and CROSS-DISCIPLINARY LITERACY Susan Chenelle [email protected] Audrey Fisch [email protected] HOW TO FIND GREAT INFORMATIONAL TEXTS Finding the right informational text can seem daunting, but it is possible and can be very rewarding for both you and your students. Sometimes you’ll find the right piece with your first internet search; other times it can be a very time-consuming hunt. The key is finding pieces that your students will want to read either because they connect with what you’ve been doing in class or because they are topically interesting to them. So, here are some tips and resources.

TIPS  Get to know the New York Times Learning Network – written and edited by teachers, an enormous trove of lesson plans based on articles related to timely issues as well as commonly taught novels (be sure to check out their new “Text to Text” feature)  Set Google news alerts for topic-related key words

RESOURCES Here are some quality resources (E=elementary, M=middle school, H=high school) that can cut down your search time (visit usinginformationaltext.com for a version of this list with descriptions of each site):

CURRENT EVENTS / ISSUES  NYT Learning Network (M, H) http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/  Newsela (E, M, H) http://www.newsela.com/  PBS NewsHour Extra (M, H) http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/  CoreStand (E, M, H) http://www.corestand.com/lessons-and-more/  TweenTribune (M, H) http://tweentribune.com/  CNN Student News (M, H) http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/  Time for Kids (E, M) http://www.timeforkids.com/  Slate (H) http://www.slate.com  Kelly Gallagher’s AOW (H) http://kellygallagher.org/  The Digital Textbook (H) http://englishcompanion.com/resources/digital-textbook/

HISTORY, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY and HEALTH  Library of Congress (M, H) http://www.loc.gov/teachers/  Delancey Place (H) http://www.delanceyplace.com  PsychologyToday (M, H) http://www.psychologytoday.com/  ReadWorks (M) http://www.readworks.org  ScienceDaily (M, H) http://www.sciencedaily.com/  ScienceNews for Kids (M, H) http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/  Business Week (M, H) http://www.businessweek.com  TeensHealth (M, H) http://teenshealth.org/teen/  Who’s Counting (H) http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WhosCounting/  Wired (H) http://www.wired.com  Wonderopolis (M) http://www.wonderopolis.com

SPORTS and ENTERTAINMENT

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext  NPR music/entertainment (M, H) http://www.npr.org/series/100920965/music-articles/  Sports Illustrated for Kids (M, H) http://www.sikids.com

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext PREPARING AN INFORMATIONAL TEXT Finding a great informational text is just the first step. Your students may not be prepared to read it. Support their success with the text by scaffolding the reading process and anticipating stumbling blocks. STEP 1: Don’t overload your students Challenge: Length – Though we do not want to shy away from readings of challenging length, many informational texts are too long and/or go beyond your instructional goals.

Strategy: Use excerpts -- While we want to expose our students to rigorous texts, that doesn’t mean that they always have to read the entire text. Try to keep essential features intact, but exclude material that does not serve your instructional purposes.

STEP 2: Identify key vocabulary (not too many!)

STEP 3: Create pre-reading activities that front-load both key vocabulary and concepts See vocabulary handout for examples of types of activities. Choose those that best suit your instructional goals, available time, and students’ literacy needs.

STEP 4: Create discussion questions that lead students to notice and articulate key concepts and textual features Incorporate these into a sidebar alongside the text so that you can use them to guide your students’ reading of the text.

STEP 5: Create PARCC-style multiple-choice questions to check for understanding These should address vocabulary in context, key ideas and details, integration of knowledge and ideas, and craft and structure. You don’t always have to do this, and you can use it as an informal assessment if you like. But it will help if students are used to seeing these types of questions. Students can also make up these questions (in teams, for example).

STEP 6: Create follow-up writing and discussion activities that ask students to articulate key ideas and use textual evidence These post-reading writing and discussion questions should ask students to demonstrate their comprehension of key ideas from the informational text using textual evidence. While some of these questions can address just the informational text itself, others should put the informational text in dialogue with another text (a literary text or another informational text).

STEP 7: Find a fun, engaging, short multimedia clip related to your informational text Begin your lesson with this clip to build motivation and engagement. Remember, PARRC will ask students to work with all kinds of texts. You may want to include one or more items related to the audio or video clip in your check for understanding questions.

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Curriculum, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext TIME TO GET STARTED Now, it’s your turn to start creating a unit that puts an informational text into rewarding dialogue with a text (literary or informational) that you already teach. Start with steps 1 and 2. Once you’ve found your informational text, you can select which of the remaining steps that you want to start working on now. The worksheets that follow will help you get started on whichever element(s) you choose. If you are working in collaboration with others, you can divide up the tasks. TASKS 1. Identify an idea or text for a possible informational text connection 2. Find your informational text 3. Cut/excerpt informational text 4. Identify key vocabulary 5. Create pre-reading activities that front-load key vocabulary and concepts 6. Create sidebar reading prompts that highlight key concepts and textual features 7. Create PARCC-style multiple-choice and open-ended questions 8. Find an engaging media link to increase motivation and engagement

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext WRITING PRE-READING VOCABULARY QUESTIONS Please make up some pre-reading vocabulary questions about your selected informational text. Look for opportunities to front-load key concepts within your vocabulary questions.

USE CONTEXT CLUES Write a couple of straightforward sentences that provide context clues for the key vocabulary word and, ideally, introduce key concepts from the informational text. Then, draft one or more questions that ask students to use the context you have provided to determine the meaning of the key vocabulary word.

EXAMPLE: The research began with a hypothesis about what causes aggression. The scientists tested their theory with experiments. Based on the context, what is a scientific hypothesis? Why do scientists need to test a hypothesis with experiments?

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext MORE CONTEXT CLUES This type of question has two parts. Part 1: Draft a sentence using a key vocabulary word and providing context clues. Then, follow up this sentence with a multiple-choice prompt. Part 2: Draft a question that asks students to identify which word(s) from the sentence in Part 1 best helps them understand the meaning of the key vocabulary word.

EXAMPLE: PART 1: The researchers tested genetically modified fruit flies that had been engineered so that their neurons would react to a certain temperature in the environment. Genetically modified here means a) aggressive b) reactive c) scientifically altered d) professionally trained

PART 2: Which word from the sentence above best helps the reader understand the meaning of genetically modified? a) engineered b) react c) tested d) environment

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext USE THE DICTIONARY Draft one or more open-ended questions regarding a key vocabulary word for the student to answer after having looked up the definition in the dictionary. Notice that this question asks students to go beyond just looking up the dictionary definition and actually use their understanding of the word to answer the question.

EXAMPLE: If someone wants to be a neuroscientist, that person is most likely interested in what?

PRACTICE USING THE WORD CORRECTLY Draft one or more sentences with blanks that students must fill with the appropriate form of a key vocabulary word.

EXAMPLE: The principal has _____ that if students are well fed, they will do better on their schoolwork. He plans to test his ______by offering good breakfasts to all students. a) hypothesis … hypothesize b) hypothesized … hypothesis c) hypothesize … hypothesize d) hypothesis … hypothesization

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext VOCABULARY SKITS Provide a short, student-friendly definition of a key vocabulary word, followed by a few sample sentences using the word. Use some of these model sentences to begin to introduce key ideas about the informational reading, when possible. Then create a scenario for the students to base their skit on. The skit scenario may also introduce key ideas from the reading.

EXAMPLE: tussle - to have a fight; a fight, brawl, scuffle

 I think men are more likely to get into tussles than women.  My father always wants to tussle with me about my chores, but I am doing the best I can.  The endless tussles in Congress would be amusing if they didn’t have such important implications for our future.

Scenario: Create a skit in which a group of scientists discuss the relationship between gender and aggression. Are men naturally more aggressive than women? Are women less likely to get into tussles than men? (Feel free to have the scientists get into a verbal (but not physical) tussle during their conversation.)

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext USING INFORMATIONAL TEXT TEMPLATE Once you’ve found an informational text that you want to create a unit around, use this template to put it into a format to facilitate reading and discussion.

SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE TEXT (optional) READING and DISCUSSION QUESTION TYPES

Reflect on aspects of craft and structure (title, type of informational text, purpose, source, etc.).

Vocabulary: Follow-up on your pre- reading vocabulary exercises with discussion of how the words are INFORMATIONAL TEXT GOES HERE used in the informational text. (remember, feel free to cut any parts of the text that stray from your instructional goals) Key idea: Draw attention to key ideas. Ask students to put them in their own words.

Notice key details and ask students how they contribute to the text’s overall meaning, purpose, or argument.

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext WRITING PARCC-STYLE MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS Please make up some PARCC style multiple-choice questions about your selected informational text. Don’t forget to include right and wrong answers! (See PARCC multiple-choice question reference sheet for models.)

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT: PART A VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT: PART B

KEY IDEAS and DETAILS: PART A KEY IDEAS and DETAILS: PART B

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext INTEGRATION of KNOWLEDGE and IDEAS: PART A INTEGRATION of KNOWLEDGE and IDEAS: PART B

CRAFT and STRUCTURE: PART A CRAFT and STRUCTURE: PART B

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext WRITING FOLLOW-UP WRITING AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Please make up some open-ended writing and discussion questions about your selected informational text. While some of the questions will focus just on aspects of the informational text, others should put the informational text and another text (literary or informational) into dialogue. Both types of questions should require students to use textual evidence to support their responses.

NOTE: Our model below puts the informational text in dialogue with the literary text. Current samples from PARCC only put the informational texts into dialogue with other informational texts. Our model is more challenging and also returns the student to the literary text in ways that we as language arts teachers care about while still asking the students to put the texts into dialogue. Clearly, we will all have to keep thinking about how best to use these questions to prepare students for PARCC while also getting them to write and think in ways that we think are important.

WRITING AND DISCUSSION – INFORMATIONAL TEXT ONLY These questions should ask students to think about the craft and structure or key ideas and details of the informational text.

EXAMPLE: James Gorman discusses research on aggression in fruit flies by a group of scientists.

 Why, according to Gorman, are the scientists interested in aggression in fruit flies?  What have these scientists discovered about aggression in fruit flies? What are the implications of their discoveries for humans? What questions remain unanswered by the research?

Use information and textual evidence from the article to support your response. Be sure to follow the conventions of standard English.

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext WRITING AND DISCUSSION –TEXTS IN DIALOGUE These questions should ask students to integrate key ideas and details from the informational text with those of another related text (literary or another informational text).

EXAMPLE: Use what you’ve learned about male aggression in James Gorman’s article to consider the excerpt from William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.  Does the scene from Lord of the Flies reflect the concerns about aggression in Gorman’s article? Why or why not?  How would much the scientists Gorman discusses analyze the behavior of the boys in the scene? If they could study the boys, what might they be interested in learning more about?

Develop your essay by providing textual evidence from both texts. Be sure to follow the conventions of standard English.

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext PARCC Question Types Reference Sheet Use this sheet as a quick reference when writing PARCC-style questions. Note that most multiple-choice questions on the PARCC assessments consist of two parts. The question stems below include the types of questions appearing on the PARCC sample tests released as of November 2014.

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT

PART A OPTIONS:  What is the meaning of X as used in this sentence/paragraph?  Which word is a synonym for X as it is used in the text?

PART B OPTIONS:  Which phrase from the sentence/paragraph best helps the reader understand the meaning of X?  Which idea provides the best context for determining the meaning of X?  Besides the sentence that contains the word/phrase mentioned in Part A, select the other sentence in paragraph X that helps the reader understand the meaning of X.  Which phrase helps the reader understand the meaning of X?  Which quotation helps clarify the meaning of X?  Which language feature provides context for determining the meaning of X? (e.g., rather signals contrast, finally emphasizes importance, etc.)

KEY IDEAS and DETAILS

PART A OPTIONS:  What is the central idea(s) of the reading?  Which two statements best summarize the theme/main idea of the text?  What claim/argument does the author/text make?  Which sentence provides an accurate summary of X (not the whole piece)?  Which statement describes a similarity/difference between the two texts under discussion?

PART B OPTIONS:  Which sentence(s)/piece(s) of evidence from the text best support the answer to the question above?  Choose two quotations/examples/pieces of evidence that support the answer to the question above.  Which piece of evidence below does NOT support the answer to the question above?  Which paragraph best supports the answer to Part A?

INTEGRATION of KNOWLEDGE and IDEAS

PART A OPTIONS:  Which question is unanswered by the reading?  What is one question the article answers?

PART B OPTIONS:  Which statement IS true and/or is answered by the reading related to the question above?  Which quotation from the article best reflects an inference that supports the answer to Part A?

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext CRAFT and STRUCTURE

PART A OPTIONS:  What is the function of sentence A/paragraph A?  How does sentence A/paragraph A contribute to the theme/argument of the text?  In this sentence/phrase/paragraph, the author writes X. Which paraphrase best explains the author’s ideas/thinking here?  How does the author structure the opening/closing, etc. to advance his/her argument?  How does the author develop his claim that X?  How does the reference to X help advance the argument as a whole?  What is the main purpose of the text?  How does the author use paragraph X to advance his overall argument? (criticizes opponents, produces a list of authorities, offers historical support, summarizes general argument)

PART B OPTIONS:  In what other section of the text is the idea of sentence A/paragraph A discussed?  Where in the text are the ideas introduced in sentence A/paragraph A further developed?  Which words/phrases/sentence in the text best help you understand the meaning of the phrase under consideration in the question above?  Which example from the text illustrates the idea/meaning of the idea/thinking in the question above?  Which statement from the opening/closing/etc. emphasizes the answer to Part A?  Which quotation provides the best evidence for the answer to Part A?  Which details (paired, one from each text) support the answer to Part A?  In which sentence of paired text does the author use a similar technique?  Which paragraph from the paired text makes a point similar to the answer in Part A?

DRAG and DROP QUESTIONS The PARCC assessments feature questions in which students must arrange excerpts of texts in order to match specific arguments with their evidence or counterarguments or to put elements described in the text in sequential order (e.g., steps in an experiment). You can use the worksheet that follows to plan drag-and-drop questions if you have access to such technology or to give your students practice with similar tasks on paper.

ESSAY PROMPTS for the Research Simulation Task NOTE: As evident below, the prompts on the PARCC sample tests are very general. While we advocate pushing your students to think in deeper ways, as our models above indicate, we also offer the T-chart organizer that follows to guide your students’ reading and thinking in preparation for more general prompts like these.

 Write an essay analyzing the arguments of X. Base the analysis on the specifics and arguments and principles put forth in the three sources. Consider at least two of the sources.

 You have studied three sources on X. Write an essay in which you explore X. Consider how the different authors present/represent X.

 Write an essay that contrasts the primary arguments in each text about X. Think about how each author supported his/her claim with reasoning and/or evidence.

 Write an essay comparing the information presented in each text. Use evidence. Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext DRAG and DROP QUESTION PLANNER/WORKSHEET #1 – MATCHING ARGUMENTS with EVIDENCE or COUNTERARGUMENTS Use this worksheet to plan a drag-and-drop question or as a model for giving your students practice with similar tasks on paper.

Quotes or paraphrased arguments Quotes or paraphrased arguments or or evidence from informational text #1 evidence from informational text #2.

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext DRAG and DROP QUESTION PLANNER/WORKSHEET #2 – PUTTING ELEMENTS IN SEQUENTIAL ORDER Use this worksheet to plan a drag-and-drop question or as a model for giving your students practice with similar tasks on paper.

Quotes or paraphrased arguments or evidence from informational text #1

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext ORGANIZER FOR READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS in DIALOGUE You can prepare your students for the writing prompts on the PARCC assessments by having them use or make their own T-chart organizer like the one below. Depending on the prompt or your instructional focus, students can take notes that help them compare the tone or emphasis, key arguments and evidence, or structure of two related texts.

TEXT #1 TEXT #2

Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle, Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], www.usinginformationaltext.com @usinginfotext Using Informational Text to Teach To Kill a Mockingbird By Susan Chenelle and Audrey Fisch

“Using Informational Text to Teach to Kill a Mockingbird is the resource I've been waiting for! Teachers don't have nearly enough time to research informational texts to go along with every unit they teach; therefore this book is going to be perfect for the teacher who wants to take her lessons to the next level. I can't wait to use these lessons in my classroom.” —Amanda DeAngelo, high school English teacher, Secaucus High School

“Propelled by rich, probing questions, this book invites teachers and students to explore a classic text with fresh eyes. The authors' approach fosters a disposition for deeper reading and will inspire a sense of wonder in your students.”—Carol Jago, long time English teacher and past president of the National Council of Teachers of English

“This book (and its website) helps teachers to delve deeply into strategic teaching activities aimed at meeting the Common Core State Standards. Chenelle and Fisch use a wide array of readings with differing levels of complexity to provide "pathways" into engaging explorations of one of the most sacred texts of high school literature, To Kill a Mockingbird. Replete with ideas for evidence-based writing, connections to multimedia web resources, and possible rubrics for evaluating student work, this invaluable guide will not only challenge students to read, write, and think more critically, but will also help teachers "reconceptualize" their teaching to meet the rigorous objectives of the CCSS.”— Allan A. De Fina, dean of the Deborah Cannon Partridge College of Education and professor of literacy education, New Jersey City University, past president of the New Jersey Reading Association

In this volume, we offer informational texts connected to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Readings range in genre (inaugural address, historical analysis, autobiography, etiquette book, newspaper editorial, and Supreme Court decision) and topic (the Depression, entails, etiquette, the right to a lawyer, stereotypes, lynching, miscegenation, and heroism). Each informational text is part of a student-friendly unit, with reading strategies and activities. Teachers need to incorporate nonfiction in ways that enhance their teaching of literature. The “Using Informational Text to Teach Literature series” is an invaluable supportive tool.

Audrey Fisch is Professor of English and Coordinator of Secondary English Education at New Jersey City University where she has taught for over twenty years. She has published a wide variety of academic work (including books with Cambridge and Oxford University Presses, numerous scholarly articles, and writing about teaching) and has worked as a curriculum consultant and professional development provider for K-12 districts in New Jersey.

Susan Chenelle has taught English and journalism for six years at University Academy Charter High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, where she also has served as the English department lead and academic director for humanities. She holds a master’s degree in education from New Jersey City University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Kenyon College.